


Unstoppable Time

by sleepy_sendhelp



Series: The Sixth Love Language [6]
Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Sibling Fluff, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 06:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26967271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepy_sendhelp/pseuds/sleepy_sendhelp
Summary: Breakfast with his siblings was Max’s favorite time of the day.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood & Max Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood & Max Lightwood
Series: The Sixth Love Language [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907059
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Unstoppable Time

**Author's Note:**

> totally forgot about Jace so I guess this is kinda canon divergent? I don’t even know what timeline this is I just imagined a scene/aesthetic and went with it. I also only have a vague memory of what the New York Institute looks like so bear with me HAHAHA

Alexander and Isabelle Lightwood entered the New York Institute covered in ichor. The morning light passed through the stained windows, and Max ran to meet his exhausted siblings. 

“Halt!” Izzy spoke in her best impression of a mundane soldier’s voice. The youngest Lightwood stopped in his tracks and saluted his sister. Alec shook his head, if their parents ever found out how much they’ve been trying to immerse themselves in mundane culture they’ll be in trouble. Which is why they’ll never know. Alec made sure to drill into his younger siblings’ heads that they can never make a reference in front of their parents. Never mind that Robert bought Max a mundane picture book called a comic book that had ridiculous pictures on it last week, he knew what it was for. 

“You can’t come near us,” Izzy said before Max could protest. “We’re covered in ichor, so we need to wash up first.” 

“Why can’t I go patrolling with you two? You get to stay up all night, it’s not fair.” His little voice sounded so upset, but his older siblings only looked amused. 

“Believe me, you wouldn’t want to stay up all night fighting demons.” Alec said, the weariness of an old person imbued in his statement. He scratched at his itchy cheek covered in ichor. 

“And you don’t even have runes yet, you can’t go out there untrained and unruned.” Alec’s face screwed up at his sister’s words. Unruned? 

“We can still have breakfast together right?” Max asked. 

“Of course we’ll have breakfast together. I know we’re always tired when we get home, but Izzy and I got food from a mundane store to make up for it, see?” Alec gave Max the paperbag containing the warm food. He jumped in glee and ran to the kitchen to prepare their food.

They’d felt bad about about leaving Max all by his lonesome since Izzy started patrolling with Alec. He’s often left to eat breakfast by himself because his older siblings dropped dead as soon as they get back to the Institute, something that hasn’t happened before when it was only Alec patrolling with other members of the Conclave since Izzy still stayed. 

Even if Robert and Maryse had time to eat with Max between their many business trips, it wasn’t the same as eating with his siblings. They never talked about mundane things with him, they never played with him, and they never stayed for more than an hour. Now both Alec and Izzy are busy too. Max knew it was important to kill demons, but can’t they stop coming late at night so his siblings could sleep and wake up with him? Breakfast was his favorite time of the day because it was when they could just talk. After breakfast comes lessons and training, there was no time to just be. 

——————————-

Max sat patiently at the Institute’s backyard, their food laid out around the blanket strategically. That way their blanket won’t go flying away, and he could sit in the middle because his food was in the middle. He looked at the pillows around and hoped he didn’t forget anything. It was their first breakfast together in two weeks since Izzy began patrolling. His new comic book was beside him, he resisted the urge to take a peek and start reading. He waited for a week before opening it, he can wait a few more minutes so he can read it with his siblings. 

The abundant grass made it possible for Max to hear his siblings’ soft footfalls. They settled on either side of him, as soon as they were seated they gravitated towards each other and eliminated all the unnecessary space between them, it was as instinctual as the need to breathe. For all the years of Max’s short life it had been like this, it was them against the world. From breakfast to midnight snacks, and sometimes to sleepless nights. 

Max remembered feeling like a part of him was missing when Alec started patrolling two years ago, he and Izzy were left in the Institute worrying over him, unable to sleep until exhaustion dragged their eyelids closed. Time had passed and it became easier, easier to worry less about Alec when he went out, and easier to cope with late nights and early mornings without him. 

Now, Izzy started going out of the Institute more even when she didn’t have to patrol. He and Alec always lied to their parents for her, but coping with one sibling whose world suddenly became larger than their Institute was easier than it was when there was two of them outside and him alone inside. Max learned to treasure their time together more. 

Yesterday, his father caught him sulking around because he missed his siblings. He told him that Alec and Izzy were at the age where they wanted to explore the world more, wanted to have other friends who were their age, and that it was okay, he’ll get to that age too. But Max doesn’t want to. He looks at them now, contentedly eating their pancakes in silence. Izzy was reading the back of his comic book. They were older and taller and smarter than him. They were also closer in age, with only two years apart. He’s proud of them, because they’re brave shadowhunters who protect the world from demons, he hopes they won’t forget him though. Hopes they’ll still want to eat breakfast and read comic books with him when they meet new people. 

“We’ll still have breakfast and dinner and sleepovers when you grow up, right?” he said. 

Alec and Izzy looked stunned, maybe they weren’t expecting him to break the silence. Izzy raised her eyebrows at Alec, who set down his fork and drank his juice before speaking. 

“Of course we will Max, what makes you think we won’t?” Alec said. 

Max shrugged, he looked down and started pulling up blades of grass to distract himself. He didn’t see his siblings look at each other worriedly. 

“Dad said you were growing up, and that you’ll want to go out and have more friends your age.” He felt his sister wrap her arms around his shoulders and place a kiss on his head. 

“That’s not true Max, we won’t forget about you, you know we only go out to patrol right? We don’t even like going out of the Institute.” Alec said. 

“That’s not true Alec, I like going out every once in a while. But Max even if we- or I, make other friends, or go out more often, you’ll still be our brother. No friend is going to be more awesome than you are.” Izzy said, her cheek pressed against his.

“And we’ll still have breakfasts together?” Max asked. 

“Yes. And every other meal besides breakfasts.” Alec answered. 

“And sleepovers, and we’ll read whatever book there is in Institute starting with your brand new comic book okay? Now let’s finish breakfast so we can start reading.” Izzy said, ruffling his hair. Alec followed and they continued eating, the sound of mundanes were the only noise that can be heard. 

Max didn’t want to grow up, and he didn’t want Alec and Izzy to grow up even more than they already have, because growing up and having other friends seemed scary. Time can’t be stopped though, so he’ll take comfort in his siblings’ words instead, and look forward to every meal together.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are encouraged and very much appreciated! Also, come find me on tumblr! My writing blog is @sleepie-scribbles and my main is @sleepy-sendhelp <3


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